Homage Watches
Discussion
Always a controversial subject, but an interesting one all the same. There are some people who consider them little better than fakes, but I wouldn't agree. The world is full of homage consumables. Unless you are wearing a very expensive labelled shirt, the chances are you are wearing a homage, and the same can be said for hand bags, wedding dresses, right through to furniture. I fail to see why watches should be any different, but I know many Wis's would argue this point. I love the designs of various luxury watches, but can't justify the expense, so I don't see anything wrong with wearing something very similar, as long as it is pretending to be the real thing. Below is the watch I am wearing today, I wonder if you can guess what it looks like 
thebraketester said:
I’ve been looking at the Parnis IWC copy. Bit odd because if I could afford a real IWC I wouldn’t buy one, but the parnis at 80quid seems appealing for some reason. Would take the auto mechanism out of it though and have it as hand wind
It's a Panerai homage actually. The movement is a Seagull auto and works very well. Accurate and reliable. Not the quietest mechanism, but noisy either 
Hoofy said:
True as a specific example but the Steinhart subs are no better. (TBH I prefer the Steinhart as the hour hand just looks nicer with its widening style!)
If it doesn't carry the same name on the dial, I am not sure if it matters. Well, not for me anyway. There are dozens of Japanese watches with homage versions of Omega and Rolex, but when the Chinese do the same some people get all upset, just don't get it ?Hard-Drive said:
I'll point out again the quality issue I mentioned...Parnis feel cheap with noisy movements, fall apart and mist up. Steinharts do not.
As an aside, I'd not really made the connection between the Ocean Black DLC and the Rolex sub, simply because I don't think Rolex do a black version. I just saw it as more of a generic diver's style watch...
We have different experiences. I openly accept that a Steinhart is a better watch than a Parnis, but it costs about 6 times as much. I have several Parnis watches, and to be honest the value for money they offer is quite amazing. I'm convinced that if they cost £250 instead of £80, watch enthusiasts would like them more. However, Parnis watches aren't made to please enthusiasts, as their business plan is to sell high volume at a low margin. Like any manufacturer they have different levels of specification. For example, the cheaper watches may have inferior straps, mineral windows and Mingzhu movements, whilst the better ones have quality bracelets, sapphire windows, and Miyota movements. I am constantly looking for brands that offer the designs and quality I want at the price I can afford, and it's hard to find anything that can keep up with Parnis. That said, I'm not going to stop looking !!As an aside, I'd not really made the connection between the Ocean Black DLC and the Rolex sub, simply because I don't think Rolex do a black version. I just saw it as more of a generic diver's style watch...
Jayho said:
As far as I'm aware parnis isn't actually any one company/factory in full. I think the movement they get in from seagull, and maybe have some factories providing people with the case / parts, but they're all assembled by a range of "companies". Hence why sometimes you see a certain parnis on eBay with various prices from different sellers as it's built by different people. Again probably the reason why you've had different experience than others as you've potentially found one of the better builders. A lot of people on certain forums have actually a recommended list of parnis providers list of ones to avoid based on QC experience. Very much a case of Mr Chan from ABC road takes pride in what he does and has the experience to do a good job, whereas Mr Wong from XYZ lane doesn't really care and just builds as many and as quickly as he can so he can go on a pissup with some mates on a Friday.
Well put, and quite possibly very true. For reference I use a site called mywatchcode. Every watch I have bought has been excellent. I changed the straps on a couple, but that isn't a big deal. I had a problem with one, which was possibly my fault, and they paid postage both ways and sorted it for me. They actually have three movement grades, Mingzhu, Seagull, and Miyota. To be fair they are all accurate, although the auto Seagull and Mingzhu are a tad noisy. The finish and spec for the money is nothing short of amazing.Gassing Station | Watches | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff